Documents of Protest and Compassion (eBook)

Walter Bauer, a socially committed writer and humanist, emigrated from Germany to Canada in 1952 after becoming disillusioned with social and intellectual developments in Germany. During his progression from dishwasher to university professor, Canada's multicultural outlook allowed him to remain true to himself and loyal to his intellectual heritage, but he died without seeing his humanistic goals fulfilled. While living in Canada he continued to write poetry for a German audience, but this audience ignored him. At the same time he remained unknown to most Canadians, whom he might have reached had he decided at an earlier stage to write in English. His dilemma, typical of that faced by many immigrant writers, is effectively documented in his writings.

Documents of Protest and Compassion offers the first extensive critical assessment of Bauer's considerable poetic oeuvre. In this long-overdue supplement to recent anthologies of Bauer's poetry and essays on his life and work, Angelika Arend draws on Bauer's diaries and letters to reveal the profoundly humane intentions that guided his choice of themes and structures. She shows that social protest and brotherly compassion, shared responsibility and critical self-reflection are Bauer's main thematic fare, which he presented in simple, yet carefully crafted, poetic structures, and explains how these ideas and forms developed or remained constant in light of historical, cultural, social, and personal developments.

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Documents of Protest and Compassion offers the first extensive critical assessment of Bauer's considerable poetic oeuvre. In this long-overdue supplement to recent anthologies of Bauer's poetry and essays on his life and work, Angelika Arend draws on Bauer's diaries and letters to reveal the profoundly humane intentions that guided his choice of themes and structures. She shows that social protest and brotherly compassion, shared responsibility and critical self-reflection are Bauer's main thematic fare, which he presented in simple, yet carefully crafted, poetic structures, and explains how these ideas and forms developed or remained constant in light of historical, cultural, social, and personal developments. Documents of Protest and Compassion is important for those interested in Bauer's work, German poetry, German-Canadian literature, and the immigrant writing experience.